snydeq writes: Speculators' attention is turning again to iPhone rumors — and missing the deeper shift: that version numbers for mobile devices are increasingly unnecessary given that software is the ultimate driver of value for the devices, writes InfoWorld's Galen Gruman. 'Apple understands that the deep value is in the ecosystem, not the box that runs it, and the importance for owners of all models to feel current. It doesn't really matter whether your MacBook Pro is from 2009 or 2011 but whether it runs OS X Lion and iCloud. Ditto on mobile devices, where iOS 5 and iCloud compatibility is the major advantage.... What all this comes down to is the rapid maturation of device hardware. Though hardware is important, software ultimately creates the most value, partly by enabling the hardware's value. We'll see version numbers on iOS, OS X, Android, and Windows for some time, but the devices that run them, not so much.'